What Is NLCS in Baseball?
Contents
- What is NLCS?
- How is NLCS different from other baseball playoffs?
- What teams have been in the NLCS?
- How often do teams make it to the NLCS?
- How does home field advantage work in the NLCS?
- What is the format of the NLCS?
- How long does the NLCS last?
- How many games are played in the NLCS?
- What is the schedule for the NLCS?
- How are the teams seeded for the NLCS?
- How are the umpires selected for the NLCS?
- How do the players get ready for the NLCS?
- What is the history of the NLCS?
- Who are some of the most famous players in NLCS history?
- What are some of the most memorable moments in NLCS history?
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series in Major League Baseball (MLB).
What is NLCS?
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series in Major League Baseball (MLB), the other being the American League Championship Series (ALCS). The winner of the NLCS wins the National League pennant and advances to play against the winner of the ALCS in MLB’s championship series, the World Series.
How is NLCS different from other baseball playoffs?
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a seven-game playoff that takes place at the end of the Major League Baseball (MLB) season. The winner of the NLCS advances to the World Series, where they will face off against the American League champion.
NLCS is just one step in the MLB playoffs, which also include the Wild Card Game and Divisional Series. The Wild Card Game is a one-game playoff between the two teams with the best record who did not win their division. The winner of that game advances to the Divisional Series, where they will face off against one of the division winners.
The Divisional Series is a best-of-seven series, and the team with the better record will have home field advantage. The winner of each Divisional Series will advance to the NLCS.
Similarly to the Divisional Series, the NLCS is a best-of-seven series. Home field advantage in the NLCS goes to whichever team had the better regular season record.
The winner of the NLCS will advance to play in baseball’s biggest stage -the World Series!
What teams have been in the NLCS?
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff at the end of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) National League (NL) season. The winner of the series advances to the World Series, MLB’s championship series.
The NL was created in 1876, two years after the American Association—baseball’s first professional league—began play. The inaugural NL season featured eight teams, all in cities located on or near the eastern seaboard. From 1876 to 1992, each NL team played 154 games during the regular season. In 1993, MLB realigned its two leagues into three divisions each, and changed the format of the NLCS to pit the division winners against each other in a best-of-seven series.
In current Major League Baseball Playoff structure, five teams from each league qualify for the postseason tournament—the three divisional champions and two “wild card” teams with the best overall regular-season record who did not win their respective divisions. The main goal of these changes was to create more playoff teams and generate additional revenue by adding more postseason games. As a result of realignment and expansion, from 1995 to 2012 inclusive, 14 different teams have qualified for postseason play in at least one year as an NL member: Atlanta Braves (11 times), Arizona Diamondbacks (10 times), Chicago Cubs (10 times), Los Angeles Dodgers (9 times), Florida Marlins/Miami Marlins (6 times), Milwaukee Brewers (6 times), New York Mets (6 times), Houston Astros/Colorado Rockies (5 times), Philadelphia Phillies (5 times; no appearances from 2007–11 inclusive due to sub-.500 seasons those years), Pittsburgh Pirates (5 times; no appearances from 1992–96 inclusive due to sub-.500 seasons those years and 20 consecutive losing seasons from 1993–2012 inclusive), San Diego Padres (4 times; no appearances since 2006 due to 10 consecutive losing seasons from 2007–16 inclusive as of 2016 season’s end), San Francisco Giants (4 times; no appearances from 2008–11 inclusive due to sub-.500 seasons those years) and St. Louis Cardinals (4 times). Of these 14 teams, only four have won an NLCS: the Cardinals winning nine NLCS titles overall is aMajor League record; followed by Atlanta with five titles; San Francisco with four titles; and Arizona and Philadelphia with one title apiece.
How often do teams make it to the NLCS?
An equal number of teams from the American League and National League compete in the National League Championship Series (NLCS). The two divisional winners from each league play each other in a best-of-seven series. The winner of the NLCS advances to the World Series to play the winner of the ALCS.
In odd numbered years (2013, 2015, etc.), the NLCS is played before the ALCS. In even numbered years (2014, 2016, etc.), the ALCS is played before the NLCS.
How does home field advantage work in the NLCS?
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff that determines the winner of the National League (NL) and advances to play in the World Series.
The NL is divided into two divisions: the East and the West. The divisional winners from each division (the Braves and the Dodgers, respectively, in 2020) meet in the NLCS.
The team with the better regular season record between the two divisional winners receives home field advantage for the series. In 2020, that team was the Dodgers, who had a 43-17 (.717) record while the Braves were 37-25 (.593).
If the two teams have identical records, home field advantage is decided by head-to-head records. If they split their regular season series, it is decided by whichever team won more games against divisional opponents. If they are still tied, it goes to run differential.
What is the format of the NLCS?
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series in Major League Baseball (MLB), the other being the American League Championship Series (ALCS). All eight teams in the two respective divisions that have the best record qualify for the playoffs. The four divisional winners play in two best-of-five series, with the winners of those series advancing to the best-of-seven NLCS and ALCS.
Prior to 1969, the NLCS was played under a different format. From 1969 to 1984, both the NLCS and ALCS were played as best-of-five series (three game increments at that time), with the winner advancing to the World Series. In 1985, the format changed to its current setup: a best-of-seven series played in a 2–2–1–1–1 format (the team with home field advantage plays four games at home, then three games on the road, then two more at home, if necessary).
How long does the NLCS last?
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff at the end of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) National League (NL) season. It is played between the winners of the two NL Division Series, and the winner of this series advances to play the winner of the American League Championship Series in baseball’s World Series.
How many games are played in the NLCS?
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven series played in October after the Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season has ended. The winner of the series advances to the World Series, the MLB’s championship series.
The NLCS was first played in 1969, when the then-two-division National League was split into East and West divisions. The NLCS pits the winners of the two NL Division Series against each other. The winner of the NLCS becomes the NL champion and plays either the AL champion in the World Series or, if the same team wins both leagues (known as a “clean sweep”), that team goes directly to the World Series.
The NLCS has been played every year since 1969, except in 1994, when a player’s strike ended the season early. In that year, no playoffs were held and the World Series was not played.
The NLCS is a best-of-seven series. The team with the better record between the two teams playing in the series is said to have “home field advantage.” This means that if the series is tied at two games each, that team will get to host games five, six, and seven (if necessary). Home field advantage does not necessarily guarantee that a team will win; it just gives that team an extra advantage.
The first two games of the 2019 NLCS were played on October 12 and 13 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. The next three games were scheduled to be played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, on October 15–17 (weather permitting). If necessary, games six and seven would be played back-to-back on October 19 and 20 at Minute Maid Park.
What is the schedule for the NLCS?
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series in Major League Baseball (MLB). It is played by the winners of the two National League (NL) Division Series.
The winner of the NLCS wins the NL pennant and advances to play the winner of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) in the World Series, MLB’s championship series.
How are the teams seeded for the NLCS?
The four teams with the best records from each league advance to the LDS round. The two winners from each LDS round advance to their respective LCS. The winners of the ALCS and NLCS advance to the World Series.
In the ALCS, the team with the better regular-season record is seeded first and plays the winner of the Wild Card Game. The other two teams are seeded second and third based on their regular-season records. In the NLCS, it’s the same process, but with the two division winners getting the top two seeds instead of the top three regular-season finishers.
How are the umpires selected for the NLCS?
While the selection process for the World Series umpires is done by Major League Baseball, the process for selecting umpires for the LCS is done by the two leagues. The American League selects the umpires for even-numbered years, while the National League does so in odd-numbered years.
The league office consults with its umpiring staff to come up with a list of around a dozen umpires who they feel are most deserving of working theLCS. From there, the league office contacts the MLB Umpires Association to get its input on who should work the series. Once that feedback is taken into account,the league office makes its final decision on who will work the LCS.
How do the players get ready for the NLCS?
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff at the conclusion of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) National League (NL) regular season. The winner of the Series advances to play the winner of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) in the World Series, Major League Baseball’s championship series.
What is the history of the NLCS?
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff played each October in even numbered years by the two remaining teams of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) National League (NL), to determine the NL pennant winner and World Series participant. The winner of the NLCS advances to play the winner of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) in the World Series, Major League Baseball’s championship series.
Who are some of the most famous players in NLCS history?
Some of the most famous players in NLCS history include Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Reggie Jackson, Derek Jeter, and Albert Pujols.
What are some of the most memorable moments in NLCS history?
There have been some truly unforgettable moments in NLCS history. In 1991, the Pittsburgh Pirates came back from a 2-0 deficit against the Atlanta Braves to win the series in seven games. In 2001, the Arizona Diamondbacks staged an improbable comeback against the New York Yankees, winning Game 7 by a score of 9-1.
More recently, in 2017, the Los Angeles Dodgers won a thrilling seven-game series against the defending champion Chicago Cubs. The Dodgers went on to lose the World Series to the Houston Astros, but that doesn’t take away from what was an incredible NLCS.
What are some of your favorite memories from past NLCS?